The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1887-01-27

''madc of sticks and wool and reeds.
You 20 down, Will, but mind how you
60"
The little boy took the rope from
Sam. and tied It with trembling fingers
under his arms, as he had seen Sam
do. "Where is the nest, Samp" he
cried.
"'Bowt half way down on little bit
of ledge. You can't mistake it. And
perhaps you'll see the old bird coming
to feed the young 'uns; If you do, hide,
COS they're powerful strong and that
cross! They polish off young sheep
sometimes"
With fear and excitement, and pleas
ure at taking part in such daring ad-
venture, Willy stepped forward and be-
gan his descent.
'Mind how you co. cried Sam; "look
out for good foothold."
Willy soon found it was q very diff
cult undertaking. The ground often
crumbled and slipped from his feet OF
else the face of the cliff was too stony
and steep to afford any resting-place
for his feet.
"Hold the rope" he cried again and
again as he clutched to it, and to do
Sam justice, that sturdy young boy did
hold it fast, twisting it around the pole,
and only paying it out by slow degrees,
Willy was not so old Or 60 skillfui as
Sam, and his descent was longer and
much more hazardous. If Sam had
been no better mountaineer, Willy
could not have done for him what he
now did for Willy.
At last, with throb of Joy, the little
lad spied, not very far below him, the
long-sought nest. 1t was, as Sam had
said, made of reeds and wool and small
sticks, and Willy could see something
raw, unaedged little things-in it,
that he knew were the young birds. He
shouted for joy! But, just as he was
carefully picking his way down to the
nest, shadow sailed over him, harsh
croak grated on his ear, and cold fear
lay on his soul! He looked up. The
parent bird was flying at him, and its
broad wings had come between him and
the sun!
The bird pecked at him, and tapped
its huge black pinions, and little Willy
screamed, and yet manfully defended
himself as well as he could with his
fists, meanwhile endeavoring to clam
ber up the cliff away from the nest
But alas! whether the bird had frayed
the rope in pecking at WHY'S breast
or whether he had not tied the knot Sc
curely, in one moment, as he stumbled
over bowlder and fell backward, il
became unloosed, and the poor little
boy found himself rolling over and
over sideways, and humping from stone
to stone, catching at grass and roots tt
break his fall down, down the steel
cliff slope. And when he reached tn,
ground aching and bruised all over, ht
quite lost consciousness, and knew no
where he was.
When he came to himself, it was Il
find that he was being carried home b,
his grandfather; but the pain of hi
bruises and the shame of his wron;
action kept him from speaking, thougl
he could not keep from groaning nov
and then. When he reached home hi
wounds We're washed, and he went t.
; bed, but nothing was said to him for
few days, until he was recovering
Then, one afternoon when the slantin,
sunbeams were falling on the wall 0
his little room like golden glory, h
himself told how sorry he was for wha
he had done, and asked forgiveness
"But how came you to go?" aske
grandma. "You are generally so obt
dent, and when Sam Heathcote told u
that you had fallen down the cliff,
could hardly believe it, because we ha
so strongly forbidden you to 60"
Willy flushed as he heard this.
seemed hard to forfeit such good opin
ion. Ell" he stammered, "meant t
tell you afterwards"
at was wrong, my boy" said grand
ma, every disobedient of you, and yo
,, see your sin has brought its punish
mcnt. Remember this: BE sure you
sin will find you out 1t always bring
:. its punishment. Your poor father fel
a victim to his sin. He would drin
till he walked unsteadily, and one tel
,, rible night, coming over the hills tn
worse for liquor, he fell over thos
same cliffs, and was found dead"
There was solemn silence in the lii
tie room, but the words sank deep int
, the boys heart. He prayed that h
l might always remember the truth en-
bodied in the text: ''Be sure your 81
Q will find you OUT" Nor can he eve
hear now of ravens nest, or c
Chereham Cliffs, without rememberin
the lesson they have been instruments
in teaching him.. N. Holmes, !
: Band Of Hope RevieD.
Intelligent Flash.